| Michelle "Shell" Dockley | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shell Dockley in series 1 of Bad Girls | |||||||
| 'Bad Girls' | |||||||
| Portrayed by | Debra Stephenson | ||||||
| First appearance | "Them and Us" (#1.1) | ||||||
| Last appearance | "Series 5, episode 4" | ||||||
| Cause/reason | Transfered to mental hospital | ||||||
| Created by | Maureen Chadwick Ann McManus |
||||||
| Profile | |||||||
| Aliases | Nikki Wade, Naughty Nikki | ||||||
| Gender | Female | ||||||
| Occupation | Chef, cleaner, dancer | ||||||
| Residence | Larkhall prison, South London Amsterdam |
||||||
|
|||||||
Michelle "Shell" Dockley is a fictional character in the television drama series Bad Girls. She is portrayed by British actress Debra Stephenson. Shell Dockley was a lead character on the series, she was top dog on G-Wing in Larkhall prison. Shell appeared from the first episode in series 1 until the last episode of series 3, and returned for the first four episodes of series 5, for which was her final series.
Shell had life imprisonment for the murder and torture of a girl who had an affair whih her boyfriend, by tying her up and setting her on fire (off-screen). She is a violent and ruthless bully, often tormenting the residents of G-Wing. She is a drug dealer and pusher, and has no real friends on the wing, except Denny Blood. She had an affair with abusive officer Jim Fenner which eventually came to an end.
Shell was voted #2 on the top ten Bad Girls special, Bad Girls: Most Wanted,[1] which was hosted by Jack Ellis.[2] She was voted #8 on Virgin Media's "Top 10 TV Criminals".[3]
Contents |
Shell was seen as top dog among the prisoners of G-Wing. She is first seen rehearsing for the prison's annual fashion show, which is soon cancelled. She is best friends with Denny Blood, who is also her occasional lover. She is involved in a relationship with married officer Jim Fenner, who also having an affair with Rachel Hicks, a young prisoner who Shell bullied, eventually Rachel committed suicide. When she discover Zandra Plackett was blackmailing officer Lorna Rose, she too began blackmailing Rose and forced her to smuggle in drugs for her, Shell also made an enemy of religious prisoner Crystal Gordon, but briefly became religious and together she and Crystal reported Lorna and got her sacked, Shell soon reverted back to her old ways.
Shell gets a mobile phone smuggled into the prison and calls Fenner's wife to let her know about the affair. She makes an enemy of Barbara 'Babs' Hunt, and when they get into a fight, Babs pushes Shell resulting in an injury, however, Shell doesn't report her, due to Babs being much older and timid, she fears it will damage her 'tough girl' image. Shell begins acting strangely and eventually breaks to Wing Governor Karen Betts about the incestuous sexual abuse she suffered as a child. She is vexed when she discovers Karen is now in a relationship with Fenner, when Fenner enters her cell and begins having sex with her, she pulls out a broken glass bottle and stabs him in the stomach with it.
The third series picks up exactly where the second series finished, Karen hears Fenner screaming after Shell stabs him and almost the entire prison staff attempt to save him, however Shell barricades the door, and makes demands to be brought up to her cell in a swinger, the other prisoners cheer her on as they all hate Fenner, when her cell door is finally broken down, she is eventually restrained. Sylvia 'BodyBag' Hollamby is furious when Shell is allowed back on G Wing, so has her transferred to the psychiatric unit of the prison - which the inmates refer to as 'the muppet wing' - she makes Shell share a cell with 'Mad Tessa' a former G Wing prisoner whom Shell did not get along with, however Tessa appears to become infatuated by Shell, when Hollamby sees her plan is not working, she tells another mental patient, 'Podger Pam', that Shell has stolen her medication, and then lets Pam into the shower where Shell is, Pam brutally beats up Shell, while a delighted Hollamby looks on. Fenner eventually helps Shell escape, Denny and her girlfriend Shaz Wiley escape with her, however they lose Shaz, who is subsequently caught and returned, Shell and Denny stay with a pimp in Kings Cross for the night, and the next day wear wigs to conceal their identities, they break into the Hollamby residence, when Sylvia returns home they take her hostage and force her to dress as French maid and serve them cocaine on a tray, when her undertaker husband Bobby returns home, they also take him hostage too, they also take the Hollambys' money and Shell wrecks Sylvia's priceless ornaments. That night they tie Bobby and Sylvia up, the next morning when Shell discover Bobby has tried to break free, she places him in a coffin in their garage, and forces Sylvia to nail the coffin shut and to pour petrol over it, after tying Sylvia to the garage door, Shell sets light to the coffin, as the police arrive, Shell and Denny make a run for it in Bobby's hearse. They hide out in former cellmate Crystal Gordon's place, Shell overhears Crystal trying to warn Denny about Shell, so the next morning Shell plants drugs in Crystal's bedroom and calls the police, impersonating a civilian telling them that Crystal helped hide them, they immediately leave and tell Crystal they are going to stay with Shell's auntie Nelly in Scotland- this is lies as they both go to leave to go to Spain with false passports, Crystal is subsequently arrested and returned to Larkhall. Shell and Denny are not seen again until the last episode of the series, where Shell makes a phonecall to Sylvia, impersonating a mattress sales person, she asks Sylvia if her husband would prefer to sleep in a black coffin instead, Sylvia becomes terrified as she realises Shell is on the other end of the phone. The call is traced and Shell and Denny are arrested on a boat, however they make one last escape, and jump into the sea.
Shell does not appear in Series 4, but is mentioned numerous times, it is reported on the news that neither Shell or Denny where found in the sea, much to Sylvia's delight, she and Bobby later visit the spot where Shell and Denny 'died' for closure. Denny later returns to the prison, but Hollamby and everyone else are still under the impression Shell is dead.
Shell, it seems, did not actually drown and is discovered in an erotic club in Amsterdam by Jim Fenner other officers on a weekend trip. Shell is captured and reveals that she is pregnant. She plans to finish her sentence in Amsterdam, hoping that she is not extradited by to England. She is set up by her former lover Jeremy Pugh and is forced to return to Larkhall. Once there, she goes back on the lifers unit and immediately sets up a deal with fenner, who begins pimping her. She and Denny are also reunited, and plan to get revenge on Snowball Merriman for the murder of Shaz wylie. Shell gets Snowball on her side and then gives her a beauty makeover, resulting in Denny setting fire to her hair. She continues her business with Fenner and soon goes into labour, giving birth to a baby boy who she names Ronan Beckham Dockley. Officer Colin Hedges later comes into Shell's cell and forces her to have sex with him, but Shell refuses it infront of her child. Fenner hears all the shouting and enters the cell to find Hedges there, a nurse then enters the room and Fenner, not wanting his secret with Shell and the other officers exposed, lies and tells the nurse that Shell tried to smother her baby. Shell is later removed from the prison and sent to a mental hospital, and her baby, into care.